FloridaCommerce reported on April 22, 2026, that the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 4.6 percent in February 2026. This increase marks the second consecutive month that Florida’s jobless rate has trended upward, following a 4.5 percent reading in January. For the second straight month, Florida’s unemployment figure surpassed the national average, which stood at 4.4 percent for the same period. This shift represents a significant departure from the state’s five-year trend of maintaining unemployment levels below the U.S. average.
The total number of unemployed Floridians reached 516,000 in February, out of a labor force of 11.14 million individuals. Compared to February 2025, the state’s jobless rate has increased by a full percentage point, up from 3.6 percent a year ago. While the labor force grew by 17,000 people over the month, the number of individuals qualified as unemployed rose by the same amount, indicating that new entrants to the workforce are facing a more challenging environment in securing positions.
Industry data revealed that nine out of ten major sectors in Florida experienced negative year-over-year job growth. The state lost a total of 36,700 jobs since February 2025, a decrease of 0.4 percent. The professional and business services sector saw the most substantial contraction, losing 12,100 workers over the 12-month period. State government positions followed with a decline of 11,100 jobs, while the leisure and hospitality industry—a critical component of the state’s economy—shed 10,300 positions. Other sectors reporting losses included construction, which was down 9,100 workers, and financial activities, which lost 7,500 positions.
Education and health services remained the sole major industry to report job gains over the past year, adding 35,500 workers. Within this sector, health care and social assistance roles accounted for 29,900 of those new positions. Despite the overall statewide decline, some metropolitan areas maintained relatively low unemployment rates. The Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach area reported a jobless rate of 3.8 percent, the lowest among the 25 metropolitan regions tracked by the state. However, this still represents an increase from the 3.0 percent rate recorded in the South Florida region one year earlier.
FloridaCommerce officials noted that the release of the February data was delayed due to the annual benchmarking process and disruptions caused by a federal government shutdown in late 2025. State economists have suggested that the rising unemployment rate may be attributed to a combination of increased retirements and a longer search duration for individuals re-entering the labor market. Total nonagricultural employment in Florida stood at 9.97 million in February, a slight month-over-month increase of 1,800 jobs from January, though still down on an annual basis. The department is scheduled to release March 2026 employment figures on May 1.